Thailand Stories

This afternoon I went to The Erawan Museum in Samut Prakan to take pictures of their Songkran activities. If you didn’t know already, this is a giant three-headed elephant. Probably the largest in the world. There were quite a few people here making merit and touring the inside of the giant elephant. If you…

As you probably all know now, Thailand is celebrating Songkran this week, which is the traditional Thai new year. It is basically a week of waterfights, but there are also some other traditional aspects to the festival which I will tell you about later. …

I just spent the afternoon at Ancient Siam in Samut Prakan. They have quite a few activities going on this week for Songkran.I will post full story over at www.paknam.com as well as more pictures. The highlight for me was the…

This week sees the celebration for the start of the traditional Thai new year. From the 13th-15th April, Thai people will be dressing up in new clothes and visiting the local temple to make merit and to their grandparents in order to receive blessings. Afterwards, the youngsters will be out on the street taking part in the …

These are some of the pictures of the Songkran activities that I will be joining in Samut Prakan this week. As you can see there is a lot going on during the traditional Thai new year and not all of them are to do with water throwing! Though, of course…

An elephant sprays water on tourists during the Songkran festival on Khao San road in Bangkok April 12, 2010. The Songkran festival marks the start of the new year in the traditional Thai calendar. (Reuters) Tourists spray water on each other during the Songkran festival on…

I think only in Amazing Thailand would they put on a Songkran Parade the morning after a massacre. But that is what they are doing now in Samut Prakan. At least 15 if not more died in bloody street battles last night between the Thai army …

I am at the Songkran celebration at Sriwittayapaknam school. The summer school students are marking the start of the traditional Thai new year. About 25 monks from a local temple were invited to the school so that the students and parents could make merit by offering food. Tables were set …

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) invites foreign visitors to join the Thai people in celebrating the Thai New Year festivities between 13-15 April 2010, in Bangkok and major provinces nationwide. In true Thai style, the “Songkran Splendours 2010” will be marked with great fun in the Thai capital as well as in the popular tourist provinces of Chiang…

I recently visited Ancient Siam in Samut Prakan for their Guan Yin Festival. The Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara represents the spirit of compassion and is highly revered among the Chinese and other nations such as India, Tibet, Korea and Japan. The events at Ancient Siam started with paying respect to the female image at…

I am at a press conference at Muang Boran. They are showing the media the events that they have planned for this Songkran. The people at Ancient Siam always put on a good show for the media. There is always delicious food too. During the month of Songkran they…

The red shirt protests in Bangkok have been going on for about a week now. By world standards, this must be one of the most peaceful mass protests ever. Only the Thai people can protest but keep smiling at the same time. The rally site is more like an outdoor concert at times. However, there is…

The red shirt protests have been going on in Bangkok for 4-5 days now. Countless thousands of protesters have been camped out along the Royal Avenue. The news hasn’t received that much attention yet in the international press, mainly because there hasn’t been any violence. …

Over the past few days, the red shirts have been streaming into Bangkok to join the protest site on Ratchadamnoen Klang Avenue. On Sunday the red shirts from Samut Prakan came together to join the protest. The local red shirt radio had been broadcasting for several days …

A total of 5,000 red guards are believed to be deployed at the rally site in Bangkok and at 30 other locations in the area. This includes 200 mobile units on motorcycle. They will be providing protection to the red shirts at the rally and…

The Thai government over the past few years have been so focussed on first the yellow shirts and then the red shirts that hardly anyone has noticed the rampant increase of drug use in Thailand. It is almost getting to epidemic proportions …

It is probably not a good idea to venture outside at the moment if you are living in some areas of Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Chiang Rai, Lampang, Lumpoon, Maehongson, Nan, Phayao and Chiang Mai due to the bad air quality. You…

A few days ago, a user called “musicxpresso” put up for sale on ebay a wanted poster for Thaksin and his wife for a mere 99 cents. The photo showed the massive banner used as the backdrop for one of the yellow shirts stages while they occupied the Government House area. However, if you read the badly worded description (obviously …

Khan Kluay was a smash hit Thai cartoon when it was first released in Thailand in May 2006. It was the first Thai cartoon made at international standard and did very well in the domestic market. The little blue elephant, called Khan Kluay, was very popular with Thai children of all ages. I know Nong Grace has watched her…

This morning I drove over to the 100 Year Market at Klong Suan on the border between Samut Prakan and Chachoengsao. They were having their second annual market fair which will take place this long weekend during the Makha Bucha holiday. Mr. Surachai Kanasa, the Governor of Samut Prakan, was there for the grand opening. If you have never been…